Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy on Saturday, becoming the second straight player from the SEC juggernaut to win the prestigious award. Voted on by 928 official voters, he beat out fellow finalists C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh, and Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan for the honor.
The sophomore signal-caller is the fourth Alabama player to take home the trophy, all of whom have won it during the Nick Saban-era. He follows Mark Ingram in 2009, Derrick Henry in 2015, and DeVonta Smith last year.
Taking the baton from Mac Jones, Young excelled in his first season as the Crimson Tide starter, leading Alabama to a 12-1 record and an SEC Championship. His many accolades included breaking the program’s single-game passing record against Arkansas in late November and carving up Georgia’s defense in the SEC title game just one week ago. Even in a game where he didn’t play particularly well like the Iron Bowl, he still put together enough clutch plays to lead the Tide to victory. Young ultimately finished the year completing 68% of his passes and threw for 4,322 yards, 43 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
The Bama quarterback was listed at +700 odds to win before the season on DraftKings Sportsbook and emerged as the Heisman favorite for a good chunk of the fall. Most sportsbooks had him listed at -3000 following the SEC Championship Game last Saturday.
Here is the vote total from the 2021 Heisman Trophy:
Bryce Young (684 first place): 2,311 points
Aidan Hutchinson (78): 954
Kenny Pickett (28): 631
CJ Stroud (12): 399
Will Anderson Jr. (31): 325
Kenneth Walker III (18): 245
Matt Corral (10): 150
Desmond Ridder (5): 81
Jordan Davis (9): 75
Breece Hall (0): 17